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What do you do with the nitrate film ?
Mr. Degenkolb. The same as the GSA provisions. Nitrate fihn that was to be discarded was put into an ICC 5 drum, filled or partially filled with water in which the film would be submerged, and, as we can no longer burn the fihn because of air pollution requirements — we used to take it out into the desert and do that — they now put it in these drums, haul it out to sea beyond the 12-mile limit, and dump it.
]Mr. Butler. Well, I do not know what environmental group that is going to disturb. [Laughter.]
It is disturbing. I think 3'ou have covered them all when you put them outside of the 12-mile limit,
Mr. Degenkolb. I think so.
Mr. Butler. You say you never mix the two films in the same vault. AVhyisthat?
Mr. Degenkolb. Because the gases of decomposition from the nitrate film are not compatible. If you splice nitrate film into safety film, you have j)roblems. The nitrate decomposition gases will affect the safety film. We do not even put safety film and nitrate film into the same disposal cans. We just do not want to mix nitrate with safety. They are not compatible.
Mr. Butler. The danger is explosion, or what ?
Mr. Degenkolb. No. Originally, it is a deteriorating effect that the nitrate will have on the safety film.
Mr. Butler. From what you heard today and otherwise, what do you think is the likelihood of a fire at the film vaults today ?
Mr. Degenkolb. Unless they improve the sprinkler protection and the venting — explosion vents — they will have another.
It is particularly bothersome now that, in lowering the sprinkler system to get more air-conditioning in, they are going to have a sizable amount of that vault completely unprotected, unless they significantly reduce the storage in the film vault to a good 12 to 18 inches below the sprinkler heads.
The sprinklei-s do not put out the fire in the case of film. "When we were doing testing with Technicolor several years ago, I saw a 1,000foot roll of film that had been ignited tossed into a tank of water and continued to burn underwater. You can see it sitting there, fully flaming, just as it had when exposed in the air, because it contains its own oxygen — NO3.
So, what we are trying to do in a vault is put water to cool down the exposed part beyond the fire so that it does not get up to the ignition temperature, which will be somewhere around 300 degrees, possibly less.
In a New York film fire, as I think you have been told previously, they determined that the film autoignited at 106 degrees F.
So, the principal idea of sprinkler protection is, not to extinguish the fire — that film that is once started is gone — but we want to cool down the other cans that are in the rack. That is why the racks are supposed to be insulated, with only two cans per rack, so that air can circulate and you can get the water in to have the cooling effects, so that the film fire will not spread. Did I explain it properly ?